According to court documents obtained by Sherdog.com, Rosenthal was
arrested last year on felony charges of conspiracy to manufacture
and possess with intent to distribute marijuana. Rosenthal
initially pleaded not guilty to the charges in October but later
changed his plea to guilty in January, according to court
documents.

Rosenthal is scheduled to be sentenced on May 17, though the
referee’s sentencing has previously been continued several times,
most notably from Feb. 7 to April 9 in order to allow Rosenthal to
recover from a staph infection that hospitalized him from Jan. 12
to Jan. 20, according to court documents.

Rosenthal recently appeared in a video interview with
BloodyElbow.com recounting the serious infection that put him in
the hospital and kept him out of the cage. However, Rosenthal made
no mention of his ongoing legal issues. One of MMA’s best known
referees, Rosenthal has plied his craft at the sport’s highest
level for years, officiating numerous bouts for the
Ultimate Fighting Championship.